I'm a millionaire – and didn't know it

Mr Pyatt, 64, from Mexborough, South Yorkshire, plays just one lucky dip line on the Lotto every week and usually checks the numbers soon after the draw.

But last week he forgot and only discovered he was Britain's latest Lotto millionaire when he went to buy his next ticket and saw a message telling him he was a winner.

The retired laboratory assistant said: "I always choose one lucky dip but didn't check my account until Thursday. When it said I was a winner I couldn't believe it. I had to get my son to come round and confirm that it was true."

Mr Pyatt, who worked in power stations in the Doncaster area for 28 years, suffers with serious mobility and breathing problems. He and his 60-year-old wife Jean have one son, Steven, and they want to use their winnings of 1,460,850 to help their family.

Mr Pyatt said that although he would not be able to travel the world, he planned to make good use of it at home in South Yorkshire. He added: "I want to use the money to make sure that Steven and his family are looked after. That will make me very happy."